Chapter 117: Trial and Error Past Station
Spicy.
Really spicy.
So spicy that sweat instantly poured from Shen Yu’s forehead.
"Tsk."
"It looks like your little lover didn’t give you anything worthwhile."
"Peppers?"
"Food that’s supposed to fill your stomach?"
Bill sneered.
"I think she’s just messing with you."
"Keep your useless peppers."
He observed Shen Yu carefully for a while before finally confirming that the bag contained nothing more than ordinary red peppers.
His interest immediately disappeared.
With a dismissive snort, he returned to his seat, once again pulling Matsumoto Aika into his embrace.
Shen Yu said nothing.
He simply walked back to his seat, his face still flushed from the burning spice.
Clang...
Clang...
Clang...
For some unknown reason...
The moment he sat down and glanced out the window, he frowned.
The scenery outside was moving noticeably faster.
He instinctively looked toward the LED display above the carriage.
Current Speed: 150 km/h
"..."
His pupils narrowed.
The train accelerated.
A mechanical announcement echoed throughout the carriage.
Arriving at Past Station.
Arriving at Past Station.
Passengers wishing to disembark, please exit in an orderly manner.
This stop will last thirty minutes.
Please queue before leaving the train.
"Hiss..."
The front carriage door slowly slid open.
Standing beside the exit...
Was Sandy.
She smiled warmly at every passenger.
Thirty-Minute Stop
Everyone fell silent.
Should they get off?
Or remain inside the train for the entire thirty minutes?
No one knew which choice was correct.
Buzz...
Buzz...
Buzz...
A strange ringing suddenly echoed inside everyone’s heads.
The dizziness they had been feeling earlier rapidly intensified.
Shen Yu’s vision blurred slightly.
Then...
He noticed something horrifying.
The soft leather seat beneath him had become...
Sticky.
He slowly lowered his gaze.
The cushion beneath him was moving.
Like living flesh.
It softened.
Twisted.
Wrinkled.
Then something resembling a long tongue slowly emerged from the crack between the cushions...
Curling around his thigh.
Bill immediately jumped to his feet.
"We absolutely cannot stay on this train!"
"We’re getting off!"
"Now!"
He looked back.
The flesh-like seat instantly returned to its normal appearance.
As if nothing had happened.
But everyone had seen it.
The train itself...
Was changing.
"Move!"
"Get off!"
Then Bill suddenly looked toward Shen Yu.
"Where’s the Dragon Country brat?"
"You."
"You go first."
His tone left no room for discussion.
Unable to judge the danger outside...
Bill naturally chose the weakest-looking participant to test it.
This time...
Shen Yu didn’t move.
Instead...
He stared at the LED display above the carriage.
His expression gradually became strange.
Next Station: Treasure Station
Distance Remaining: 300 km
Estimated Travel Time: 1 Hour
The words flickered.
Twisted.
Then changed.
Estimated Travel Time: 40 Minutes
Shen Yu’s eyes narrowed.
Again...
The train accelerated.
Bill’s voice suddenly became much colder.
"Shen Yu."
"I’m talking to you."
"Are you deaf?"
"The team leader ordered you to get off."
Shen Yu finally looked at him.
His eyes were calm.
Almost indifferent.
"You really think I don’t have a temper?"
His voice wasn’t loud.
Yet everyone heard it clearly.
"You talk about teamwork..."
"But all you’ve done is throw the weakest person out to test the dangers."
"I’ve already taken one risk for everyone."
"This time..."
"It’s someone else’s turn."
He smiled faintly.
"Isn’t that right..."
"Captain Bill?"
Bill’s expression darkened.
"You dare disobey me?"
Shen Yu leaned lazily against the backrest.
"I wouldn’t call it disobedience."
"But if you’re planning to waste time arguing with me..."
"I don’t mind."
"Let’s all stay on the train together."
Squelch...
Squelch...
Squelch...
Without anyone noticing when it began...
The train changed.
Thick yellow mucus suddenly splattered across every window.
A rotten stench filled the air.
The floor beneath everyone’s feet softened.
Black blood slowly seeped through the cracks.
The entire carriage...
Was becoming alive.
Yet Shen Yu remained astonishingly calm.
He wasn’t afraid.
This SS-Rank dungeon had only just begun.
There were countless unknown routes ahead.
Countless choices.
Countless possibilities.
He couldn’t defeat the combined strength of six national teams.
Not yet.
But...
He also refused to become Bill’s disposable pawn.
Bullies always targeted the people least willing to resist.
Once someone yielded...
They would be exploited forever.
Shen Yu had already learned that lesson.
More importantly...
He wasn’t the same rookie who had entered his first dungeon.
He possessed Perfect Timeline.
If necessary...
He could rewind.
He possessed Mirage Illusion.
If necessary...
He could deceive everyone into believing he had already left the train.
As long as his trump cards remained hidden...
The initiative would always remain in his hands.
So...
There was no need to rush.
Not yet.
Bill stared at Shen Yu for several long seconds.
Golden light suddenly began radiating from his body.
His muscles tensed.
The atmosphere instantly became oppressive.
It looked as though he was about to attack.
Yet...
A moment later...
The golden aura slowly faded.
He suppressed his anger.
This wasn’t the time to fight.
Instead...
His gaze swept across the carriage before stopping on another participant.
A short man from the Third Alliance Country.
"Picas."
Bill pointed toward the open train door.
"You."
"Go first."
"You seemed pretty interested in that train attendant earlier."
A mocking grin appeared on his face.
"Perfect."
"You can go hug her all you want."
"And while you’re at it..."
"Find out exactly what waits outside this station."
I want to see if this female trickster is a pervert or if she simply couldn’t stay away from Shen Yu.
Golden light descended upon Picashelin.
The short, dark-skinned man pursed his lips before reluctantly obeying Bill’s command. He hurried toward the carriage exit.
At first, Sandy wore her usual pleasant smile.
But the instant she saw him approaching...
Her expression froze.
The warmth vanished from her face, replaced by icy indifference.
"Little lady."
Picashelin grinned crudely.
"Weren’t you pretty wild just now?"
"Come on."
"I’m a man too."
"I can satisfy you."
As he passed Sandy, he instinctively reached toward her waist.
It wasn’t because he was especially bold.
Rather...
Because of his height, that was the highest place he could conveniently reach.
His dark arm, carrying a faint unpleasant odor, stretched toward her.
Sandy remained completely motionless.
Her beautiful blue eyes looked at him as though she were staring at garbage.
Suddenly—
The metal hatch behind her twisted violently.
The solid steel softened like molten iron.
It flowed.
Condensed.
Then instantly transformed into an enormous razor-sharp blade.
Slash!
Before Picashelin’s hand could even brush against Sandy—
His entire arm was cleanly severed.
Thud!
The severed limb spun through the air before crashing onto the platform outside.
"You... you bastard!"
Picashelin staggered backward.
Strangely...
Although his arm had been cut off, not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound.
Instead, countless black threads wriggled beneath the surface of the stump.
His expression twisted from lust into uncontrollable hatred.
"Why?"
"Why can that brat hug you..."
"...but I can’t?"
Sandy sneered.
"Ugly freak."
Her voice was ice-cold.
At the same time, the molten steel above the doorway continued to gather.
The liquid metal rapidly expanded.
Compressed.
Reshaped.
Within seconds...
A massive guillotine formed above the carriage entrance.
Its gleaming blade slowly descended toward Picashelin’s neck.
"Damn it!"
His expression changed drastically.
Without another word, he turned and bolted from the train.
His short figure sprinted across the stone platform of Past Station as fast as he could.
While running—
The countless black threads inside his severed shoulder rapidly intertwined.
Muscles formed.
Bones extended.
Skin regenerated.
His missing arm was regenerating at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Shen Yu narrowed his eyes.
Interesting...
He carefully observed Picashelin’s retreat.
Then he noticed something unusual.
Although Picashelin had already left the carriage...
His shadow hadn’t.
It remained attached to the train floor.
Only after he had run dozens of meters away...
Did the shadow suddenly detach from the carriage and disappear.
His shadow lags behind...
That’s probably connected to his talent.
Shen Yu silently memorized the detail.
"Hmph."
"So this ugly little guy actually has some tricks."
Bill observed Sandy for several more seconds.
Seeing that she made no move to pursue Picashelin, he finally relaxed.
He wrapped an arm around Matsumoto Aika’s shoulders.
Avoiding Sandy entirely, he quickly stepped off the train.
The others followed immediately.
One after another, the remaining participants left the carriage.
Finally...
Only Shen Yu remained.
As he approached the exit—
Sandy’s frosty expression disappeared as if it had never existed.
A bright smile bloomed across her face.
The contrast was so extreme it left everyone watching stunned.
She leaned slightly toward Shen Yu.
"I’ll be waiting for you."
"Remember..."
"Don’t forget our previous encounter."
Shen Yu smiled faintly.
"Of course."
Although he had no idea what she meant...
He simply nodded and stepped onto the platform.
At the same time, he silently communicated with the system.
"Play the Favorability CG."
Loading Favorability CG...
Current dungeon intensity exceeds allowable memory playback.
CG has been partially sealed.
Host, please reconstruct the goddess’s memories yourself.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
...
The surrounding world suddenly darkened.
The setting sun dyed the entire station crimson.
A lonely platform appeared before Shen Yu’s eyes.
An old man sat quietly on a weathered wooden bench.
His cloudy eyes stared blankly at the late-arriving train.
Curiosity.
Confusion.
Loneliness.
His wrinkled face contained all three emotions.
Standing beside him...
Was a petite woman with curly hair.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.
She stared at the old man without blinking.
As though she wanted to remember every line on his face forever.
The old man slowly turned toward her.
His aged eyes were filled only with bewilderment.
He couldn’t understand...
Why the young woman beside him was crying.